Volkswagen ID.4 concept previews next electric VW

The ID.4 is shown here in production form, albeit with a blue wrap that keeps some details for the imagination still.  But clear is the familiar VW front end, SUV proportions and black window frames and roof, making a strong contrast with what promises to be the ID.4’s design calling card: an arching body colour C-pillar. VW says the design is particularly aerodynamic, contributing to the ID.4’s range of up to 310 miles in the version with most  battery power.

The ID.4 is based on the VW group’s new MEB electric car architecture that also underpins the ID.3 hatchback that will be the first to market of this new generation of electric VWs. The ID.4 launches first in rear-wheel-drive only form, with a two-motor all-wheel-drive model to follow.

No pictures as yet, but expect a fully digital cockpit along the lines of that introduced with the latest Golf, with its touch controls and  intuitive voice control.

VW is not forgetting about hybrids in its one billion euro ID electric car spending spree, believing them to have a role in reducing their corporate emissions in the short term. Its latest hybrid – at what would have been the Geneva Motor Show had it gone ahead – is the plug-in hybrid Touareg R4. With 137PS (135bhp) electric motor and 340PS (335bhp) turbo V6 it can run in electric only mode at up to 87mph sufficient to cover most commuting distances, says VW.